The Storm
by Romaqueen3
Summary: WARNING: The Hillridge Area is under a tornado warning. Anyone in the Hillridge area should take immediate shelter. WARNING; a tornado has been spotted in the Hillridge area, all residents should take immediate shelter.
1. Leaving

Inspiration hits in the weirdest ways! Well, let me know if you think I should continue!  
Please read and review!

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Elizabeth McGuire stared out the large window that looked onto the dark street. A strong wind rippled into the house and brushed across her arms. She gave a shudder and turned towards her best friends. Miranda Sanchez lounged on the couch, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, her pretty Latina face was relaxed as her feet propped over the lap of David Gordo. Better know to both the girls as Gordo, he was more level headed than the two girls, and reacted well with them. Like Miranda, he was also dark headed, but instead of her silky straight strands, he had a mass of curls that bounced wildly on top of his head.  
Miranda stretched, scooting her legs further across his lap as she finished off a bag of chips.  
Gordo stared at the empty bag with a disappointed look on his face. "You ate them all."  
"Yeah," she smiled, swinging her slender legs off of her friend as she stretched and made her way into the kitchen. "Lizzie, do you have any more food?"  
Lizzie crossed her arms as she leaned against the cool window which was shaking from the force of the wind. "I think you guys ate everything my mom had."  
Miranda stretched her long arms above her head and slinked into the kitchen. She glanced around the shining white countertops, then advanced towards the refrigerator. "Are you sure?"  
Lizzie laughed softly and turned back towards the window. Never in her life had she seen the streets so dark. It appeared as if the stars had been snuffed out along with the street lamps. The wind howled as it roared past the window. With a shiver, she turned away and started towards the couch. She glanced at Gordo as he put his arms inside his sophisticated looking leather jacket. "Where are you going?"  
"I'm hungry," he stated pointedly.  
"I'm sorry you ate all the food in my house," she replied. "Doesn't mean you have to leave."  
"I'm going to get more," he replied. "Besides, your parents and Matt are gone, so it's more fun to hang here than anywhere else."  
Lizzie made a face at him as her hazel eyes were drawn to the window, the roar of the wind had increased. "You don't need any more food. Just stay inside."  
Gordo laughed as he laid his hand upon the door knob. "You're not afraid of a little wind are you, Lizzie?" 


	2. The Storm

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Welcome back! Thanks for the great reception to the new idea! I'm really excited that everyone is looking forward to it! Please read and review!

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The wind shoved the door that Gordo had not completely closed wide open. It crashed back against the wall causing Lizzie and Miranda to jump.  
  
Lizzie rushed forward, grabbed the wooden frame and pushed the door shut. She leaned against it and looked over at Miranda who was trying to hide a snicker.  
  
"Don't laugh," Lizzie exclaimed, a smile tugging at her own rosy lips. The shock of the door suddenly flinging open had sent her heart pounding. Her fingers traced to the lock where she flipped it firmly into place.  
  
The wind was relentless, it howled around the corners of the house, rattling the windows. Lizzie gave a shiver and rubbed her hands up her arms. "I really don't think Gordo should have left."  
  
Miranda titled her head at her as she leaned against the small island in the kitchen. "You miss him?"  
  
Lizzie narrowed her eyes as she stared at her friend. She was worried about him but she certainly didn't miss the tone in Miranda's voice. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
Miranda shrugged innocently. "I don't mean anything."  
  
"Yeah, uh huh, sure," Lizzie stated impatiently.  
  
Miranda smirked. "Well, don't you?"  
  
"Don't I what?"  
  
Miranda sighed and leaned back against the sink. "You like Gordo."  
  
Lizzie felt the words hit her like a bucket of cold water. "Gordo?" Yeah, sure he was cute, and he was friendly, and she had a lot of fun with him. But the same description could be applied to a puppy. "I don't like Gordo. I mean, well, I like him, but I don't like him."  
  
Miranda smirked as she pulled a spoonful of chocolate out of the jar of icing and licked it off. "All right, Lizzie, whatever you say."  
  
"I hate it when you do that." Lizzie whimpered. "I think I'm a good source on who I do and don't like. And I don't like David Gordon."  
  
Miranda smirked but said nothing else as she helped herself to another spoonful.

An odd expression crossed Lizzie's face as she walked back over to the window.  
  
"What's wrong?" Miranda asked.  
  
"It's quiet, almost too quiet," Lizzie stated. She flipped the latch to the window and slid it up. The wind seemed to have stopped, like it was catching it's breath, a breeze ruffled her hair. A slow sound filled the black night, almost as though someone were cranking an old horn. The steady wail filled the air and washed over her, becoming louder. The wind began to pick up in it's fierceness, the force even stronger than before, Lizzie felt herself stumble back as another sound, a loud roar almost like a train filled the house.  
  
Miranda dropped the spoon and covered her ears. "What's happening?" she yelled.  
  
Lizzie didn't have time to answer, the large oak that had towered behind the house for so many years suddenly crashed on top of the kitchen.

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Gordo happily tapped his fingers along the steering wheel happily singing along to the song when the car suddenly rocked. It was as though a semi had passed him very close, but he was the only car on the road. Confused his hand shot forward and snapped off the radio. He looked wildly around easing his foot off the gas pedal. He'd seen no other cars for several minutes.  
  
The wind ripped along the body of the car. It was becoming hard to control.  
  
Something rolled in front of the headlights. Gordo squinted, it looked like something entirely too big to be carried by the wind alone.  
  
A sinking feeling in his stomach, he tried to pull the car over to the side of the road. But it seemed to be bucking and pulling on its own accord now. The thunderous sound of a train suddenly racked the car and it jolted again. Moments before his head smashed into the windshield, Gordo felt the oddest sensation that he was flying.


	3. Cars

Welcome back all! Glad to know you've come back for more! The plot is thickening and stirring...  
Let me know what you think! Please read and review!

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A muttered curse escaped Gordo's lips as he pressed his hand to his head. Seatbelts were completely useless when the car was resting on its roof. His fingers fumbled for the release of the seatbelt and then he promptly landed on his head.  
  
Groaning, he swung his legs towards the passenger side, and pressed his back to the ceiling of the car as his eyes strained to bring the seats above him into focus. His mind grappling to understand what had exactly happened.  
  
A moan escaped his lips as he ran his hand over his forehead. The fresh stinging and moisture upon his fingertips gave some reasoning why his head was hurting so bad. His eyes had long adjusted to the near blackness that surrounded him and he relied on shapes to see what he was doing. His eyes darted to the cracked windshield and another curse flew from his lips. He slowly rolled over until he could prop himself up onto his knees. He rummaged along the floor of the car, which was now the ceiling, until his hand slid across the glove compartment. Releasing the latch, a shower of various objects rained down on his head, but he quickly found what he'd been looking for. A small high powered flashlight he'd bought for a camping trip but never managed to actually use. He flicked it on and was pleased to see it still worked. Saving the batteries, he turned it off and reached for the door handle. He pulled and yanked, but the door refused to move. He turned around in the narrow space, and grabbed the passenger side handle but had the same luck. The windows were useless considering they were power windows, and a strong feeling told him that the car wasn't going to start.  
  
The pain in his head continued to throb and he lay down on his back. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he maneuvered his body so his feet were towards the windshield. He pulled his legs back and kicked with all the strength he could muster. He felt the window give just a little. Aggravation at being stuck in a car, upside down, who knew where, gave him the strength to pull back and kick again. The windshield gave this time, spider-webbing before falling away from its frame.  
  
Moaning from the effort he righted himself and crawled through the small opening. Gordo slowly pulled himself into a standing position, trying not to remind him that he heap he was using as a support was his car.  
  
All of his limbs, though stiff and in some sort of pain seemed to be working properly. He looked slowly around him. The highway he was so used to seeing deserted was littered by the remains of trees, and some objects that just didn't look like they belonged on a highway, the odd shaped door that could have come from a barn, the propeller...  
  
Taking a moment to get his bearings, Gordo searched his pockets for his cell phone. His fingers clenched around the small device and he quickly pulled it from his pocket. No service flashed across the screen. "Damn it," he muttered, resisting the urge to throw it down the street.

He took a deep breath and looked around him again. All the landmarks he was typically used to had been ripped from the ground. "I guess we're not in Kansas anymore," he murmured sardonically.  
  
Gordo's eyes searched the area for a sign before he finally decided to follow his intuition and started walking.  
  
The ruins that surrounded him was incredible. His feet quickly carried him over the pavement, the beam of the flashlight flicking across the path ahead. He aimed it towards the horizon. There was a dark outline several feet ahead of him, but he quickly realized what it was.  
  
A car on its side. A familiar car he'd seen so many times in the parking lot at school. The silver Celica convertible driven by none other than Kate Sanders.


	4. What Once Had Been a Kitchen

Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm really glad you guys like the chapters! I'm slowly working towards making each chapter longer. And I'm really sorry to those who do live in Tornado Alley. The threat must be awful. And thanks for the comment about the rarity of tornados in California. I figured since they would be so rare, no one would have expected it and it would have been a huge twist for everyone.  
  
Please read and review!

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A moan escaped Lizzie's lips as she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Her body ached with each movement and her head throbbed, but everything seemed to be at least working. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Blackness filled her view but the outlines of things were slowly coming into view. She'd been in the kitchen when it's sounded like a train had torn through the walls.  
  
Flat on her back, Lizzie looked around her. Something dark was leaning precariously over her head. The only thing that kept her from becoming Lizzie-pancake was the fact that it was propped up on the small kitchen island her parent had decided would be a nice addition. Lizzie pushed herself up and found a small opening to worm her way out of.  
  
The house, or what had used to be the house, lay in ruins around her. Her blue eyes darted over the jagged edges of walls, the pointed ends of beams looking for something. "Miranda?" she called. Her heart thumped inside her chest. She'd made it out okay, hadn't she? That would mean that Miranda would have too.  
  
Lizzie edged her way out of the rubble. She looked over head, the black blanket of the sky stared back at her. For he briefest moment, Lizzie wondered where her bedroom and the entire upstairs of the house was, but then she realized she was even more grateful that she hadn't found it onto her.  
  
"Miranda!" She bellowed.  
  
Her ears picked up the faintest sound. Lizzie jerked her head in that direction. She strained for the slightest sound. The muffled cry came again.  
  
Hope soaring through her heart, Lizzie picked her way over everything scattered over the ground, she stumbled forward. "Miranda, where are you?!"  
  
Then she saw her.  
  
Or at least part of her.  
  
Lizzie's heart dropped. Pinned beneath a rather large looking section of what had once been a wall, was a thin, tanned arm. "Oh God, Miranda!"  
  
Lizzie lurched herself forward.  
  
A muffled reply came from under the wall.  
  
Lizzie felt as though a weight had been lifted from her heart. Miranda was alive.  
  
"I'm going to try to move this, just hold on!" Lizzie encouraged. She looked frantically at the wall. She gripped the edges in her hand and gave a tug. Her arms pulled as she staggered back. The wall wasn't immovable, but she couldn't do it alone.  
  
She realized the sound she'd been hearing in the distance was sirens. She looked frantically around the neighborhood for the first time. Her house wasn't the only that remained in ruins. Where there had once been a cheerful happy neighborhood was now destruction. A house was not left standing. And she couldn't see any signs of her neighbors either.  
  
Refusing to give up, she called words of encouragement to Miranda and picked her way over the skeleton of the house. She finally found a beam that had broken off and was small enough for her to pick up. She stared at the wall that trapped Miranda, and finally had an inspiration. There was just enough room to make a lever, she could prop it up, but Miranda would have to move herself out.  
  
"Miranda, can you move?" Lizzie called, leaning closest to the hole she could find.  
  
"Lizzie, it hurts," Miranda moaned.  
  
Her heart wrenched but she nodded. "I know, but I have to hold it up, so you can get out. Can you move?"  
  
"I'll try," Miranda answered weakly.  
  
Her heart thumping, Lizzie shoved the board into place, trying desperately not to think what would happen to Miranda if the wall gave and crashed back onto her.  
  
"Ready?" Lizzie called, hoping against hope that she would have enough strength to move it.  
  
"Ready," came the weakened reply.  
  
With all the energy Lizzie could muster, she flung herself onto the board and was amazed to see the wall move. "Hurry, Miranda! Move now!" Then to Lizzie's horror, she hard a sickening crack. 


	5. What Once Had Been A Celica

Welcome back! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I was so excited that so many people were enjoying! It was so terrific to read it all!  
  
So please, please, read and review again!

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Gordo neared the Celica, his heart thumping in his chest. Kate hadn't been particularly his favorite person. She'd always been incredibly smug throughout middle school and during high school. But as his eyes roved the wreckage he hoped...what exactly he was hoping he wasn't sure, but he wanted her to be all right.  
  
He shone the beam onto the roof of the car, then darted it to the windows.  
  
"Shit," he muttered.  
  
A curtain of blonde hair covered the head resting her on the skinny arm.  
  
"Kate," he called, watching her anxiously for a sign of a response.  
  
She didn't' budge and he sighed, looking around for a sign of help. He knew that when someone had a fall or some kind of accident, that they shouldn't be moved. It didn't look like anyone who knew what to do would be coming along soon.  
  
Biting down on his bottom lip, he stared at the car, then a faint, foreign smell crept towards his nose. Gordo sniffed the air his mind turning over many possibilities. He finally placed it, a smoldering burning smell. His heart raced he knew that he had to get her out. That smell wasn't good, he knew he needed to get her out before whatever was smoldering could become a fire, and a fire mixed with her gas tank...He shuddered and refused to think about what would happen if he didn't get her out.  
  
Gordo quickly leaned down and cast the lone glow of the flashlight into the windshield. There was no possible way to open a door to get her out. He'd have to get her through the windshield.  
  
"Kate," he called, tempted to knock on the window. He surveyed the car, if it had landed on the roof, she'd be dead...  
  
Somewhere in the distance, the sky let out an angry rumble.  
  
A foreboding sense of urgency washed over him as he quickly walked around the car. "Kate!" he bellowed, almost desperate to catch her attention.  
  
The figure inside the car did not move.  
  
Gordo stepped back and looked around. He pulled his foot back and propelled it though the windshield. It took several tries before it finally gave and a shower of glass sprinkled onto of Kate. A gust of wind ruffled his hair. "Kate, damn it, please move," he mumbled. He reached inside the car and grasped her wrist. The limp limb in was cold to his touch and he closed his eyes. "Kate, we got to get you out of here," he murmured.  
  
He leaned inside the car, sliding his hands along her arms. He struggled with the flashlight, her seatbelt was off. Gordo shifted his arms tossing the flashlight out onto the road. He grasped her firmly under her arms, cupping his arms to get a grip. Bracing his feet against the road, he eased her from within the car. Kate's head lulled to the side her gently eased her body onto the road.  
  
He pushed the blond locks away from her face. "Kate, Kate," he murmured, his hand gripping her chin and cheeks as he gently shook her face. His fingers slid to her neck, praying for a pulse.  
  
When he felt the soft, steady rhythm he resisted the urge to cheer. He grabbed his flash light and looked back inside the car. For once in her Queen Bee days, Kate had actually been alone.  
  
Gordo stood up, the muscles in his knees twitching in protest. He stretched and looked around. There was no one around, and he couldn't leave Kate he on the road.  
  
Once again, he angrily pulled out his cell phone, but still no signal. His eyes searched the black sky for answers, answers he knew he wasn't going to find in the sky.  
  
Suddenly, Gordo felt himself flung forward as a brush of heat swept over him. He flung himself over Kate as he whirled around and his eyes drifted over the fiery ball that had once been sleek, silver Celica. 


	6. The Remains of it All

Well, look who's finally decided to show her face again! Welcome back everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update.  
It's been so long, let me know what you think! Please read and review!

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A guttural animal cry of pain escaped Miranda's lips as she lurched herself forward and the wall came crashing down.  
  
Lizzie's body staggered forward, as she caught herself on some undistinguishable remain of the house. She turned her hazel eyes towards Miranda, who lay on her back, her chest heaving, her eyes welded together in a look of pain. Forcing air into her lungs which seemed to be threatening to collapse any second, Lizzie knelt beside Miranda. "Are you okay?"  
  
Miranda lay on her back, her face tilted towards the sky. Her eyes were twisted into a look of pain. "What happened?"  
  
Lizzie stared at the destruction that surrounded her. Never in her life had she seen or experienced anything that could compare with what had just happened to the place she'd known so well and grew up adoring. Only in movies were houses torn to shreds and friends almost crushed beneath walls that had once protected them.  
  
"It couldn't be," Lizzie muttered, impatiently pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Couldn't be what?" Miranda murmured.  
  
Lizzie stood up and turned to stare at her friend. "A tornado? In California?"  
  
"What are you talking about, Lizzie?"  
  
"It wasn't an earthquake, Miranda. It was a tornado."  
  
"Lizzie, there's never been a tornado in this area," she protested, attempting to sit up. Miranda suddenly froze and briefly closed her eyes. Her hair fell around her face as she rested her head in her hands.  
  
Lizzie stood up quickly and felt the rubble beneath her feet shift. She threw her hands out cautious as she wobbled on the unstable ground. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Miranda stated, clearly lying as her voice faltered. "I'm just a little dizzy."  
  
"We need to find you help," Lizzie stated. Her eyes instinctively darted around the neighborhood. The neighborhood that had always been a safe haven was now wrecked in ruins. People were slowly emerging from the rubble, or the ones that had made it out were looking around the remains of houses. Lizzie's heart clenched in her chest as she took a deep breath and her hand flew to cover her mouth. People were looking for family members.  
  
"Oh, God, Mom and Dad, and Matt," she breathed softly. Her hand flew to her pocket which held the small cell phone she was so used to carrying. She flipped it open but to her dismay saw there was no service.  
  
She turned towards Miranda and was at her side in a second. "Come on, we've got to move, At least get you off of this rubble."  
  
She knelt down and tucked Miranda's arm around her shoulders and counted then lifted her friend. Miranda let out a small simpering sound but she stood up and limped along with her. They made it safely off the remains of the hold house and stumbled onto the cushion of grass. Lizzie slipped Miranda's arm off her shoulder and eased her onto the ground. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," she answered through gritted teeth.  
  
Lizzie knotted her fingers through her hair as she glanced frantically around. "Gordo..." she gasped.  
  
"What?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Gordo, he left right before it hit." Lizzie felt her stomach clench as tears welled in her eyes. "We have to find them. Can you walk?"  
  
Miranda closed her eyes and shook her head. "No."  
  
Lizzie turned around to stare at her. She could only watch horror struck as Miranda slowly pulled her hand away from her head, the dark crimson stains barely visible in the dark shadows. Miranda turned her suddenly paled face towards Lizzie only seconds before her shock ridden eyes rolled towards the back of her head, closed, and she slumped lifelessly to the ground. 


	7. Breathe

Welcome back! Great to hear from everyone and thanks so much for the great compliments. I'm so glad so many of you enjoy my writing! It really makes it worth while to do something I love (writing) and know that people enjoy what I write. Oddly, that sounded strangely like an acceptance speech for some award...in a way, reviews are rewards.  
  
Enjoy! Please read and review!

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Gordo's mouth went dry as he felt his heart sink somewhere near his feet. The pulsating rhythm raced as he struggled to maintain steady breaths. As the heat prickled his skin, he slowly pulled himself into an upright position. Bits of debris shifted off of him, and he turned to look at the woman he'd been trying to protect.  
  
Kate's face looked even more ashen in the glow from the dancing flames. His fingers traced along the soft, cold skin of her neck. If he could find that reassurance of her pulse, everything would seem better.  
  
His fingers skimmed her jaw line.  
  
Nothing.  
  
A strange feeling of panic rose in his throat. His mind raced over everything he could remember from first aid class. What could he do, what should he do? Instinct won over logic, as he slipped his hand under her neck, his thumb gently pulling down her chin. Squeezing her nose, he covered her mouth with his own and blew a puff of air. His hands joined mid air and met at her chest, he pressed down with two thrust and a sudden cough from Kate flung his hands back.  
  
He slipped his hand behind her neck again, cradling it as she attempted to sit up.  
  
"Easy, Kate, wait a second," he coaxed gently.  
  
Her large blue eyes fluttered for a moment. She leaned her head back against his hand as a moan passed her lips. "What happened?" she asked, her hand pressed to the side of her temples.  
  
Gordo's eyes roamed her face. The smudges of dirt, the small cut near the hairline that he'd missed when removing her from the car. "You were in an accident."  
  
Something that sounded like a hybrid between a moan and a grunt escaped Kate's lips. She pressed her hand to her head and slowly lifted her thin body into an upright position. Her eyes tried to focus upon Gordo as she blinked profusely and slowly turned her head towards the fiery mess that was her car. "Is that...?"  
  
"Your car," he nodded slowly. "I think the gas line ruptured and the heat caused something to spark."  
  
"And you pulled me out?" she clarified, turned her head away from the burning vehicle as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  
  
He nodded, but didn't say more. He was watching her as she tried to take in all the new information. Her expression was that of a bewildered child and he shared her feeling. Whatever the hell had happened had never ever been through Hillridge before. His mind wrestled with the idea of a hurricane, even though they were pretty far inland. But the idea just didn't work. He sighed, not willing to accept high winds would flip two cars.  
  
Suddenly, his heart flipped inside his chest. If they were here, and this had happened to their cars, what had actually happened in Hillridge? Lizzie and Miranda were at her house, were they okay? What about his parents?  
  
His fist instinctively tightened over the useless cell phone in his pocket. "We have to get back to Hillridge. We'll have to walk. Do you think you can make it?"  
  
Kate titled her head to the side as she staggered to her feet. "Where's your car?"  
  
"Back there, on the roof."  
  
Kate looked oddly disappointed by this news. Gordo stared at her and started to walk in the same direction he'd been when he'd happened upon her car. He flicked on the flashlight and craned it around him, hoping that he wouldn't see another car in a similar situation as he'd found his or Kate's.  
  
"Where are you going?" her voice suddenly carried.  
  
Gordo slowly turned and stared at him. "Whatever happened flipped our cars and did a lot of damage to trees and everything around us. Look at all the branches on the road. There's no reception on the cell phones, so we have to walk back."  
  
Kate's expression was still blank. "Won't someone come out here to check?"  
  
Gordo found his patients quickly ebbing and anger rising. "Kate, what ever happened to us happened at Hillridge." He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "All the emergency assistance will be in Hillridge helping everyone there." He felt the oddest sensation rush though him as everything around him seemed to precariously tilt. He forced his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his head. The dull throbbing he'd been trying to ignore, suddenly increased as he staggered forward. Someone, off in the distance, he heard Kate's frantic voice fill his head. Then silence shrouded him. 


	8. Worries

Welcome back! Thanks for the incredible reviews! Thanks to everyone who's put the time in, it's a great way to let me know you like it!

Please read and review!

* * *

Lizzie dropped to her knees as she reached out quickly for Miranda's arm. Her eyes raked over her friend, and she felt was through her as she saw her friend's chest was still moving in a steady rhythm.

"Miranda," Lizzie called, her voice undoubtedly shaking. Lizzie looked around the wreckage of what has once been her house. Her eyes landed on a large piece of wood. Had the situation not been so bad, she would have laughed. Only a few yards away from her was a large dresser that she'd been trying to convince her parents to toss out to buy her a new one. It only figured that it survived when so little of the rest of the house had.

Lizzie stood up and picked her way over to the dresser. Beneath her small feet, splinter boards and broken glass threatened to rip through the rubber soles of her gym shoes. She stumbled towards the dresser and skimmed her hands over the drawers that remained. Yanking on open, her fist enclosed upon a white t-shirt. She hurried back towards Miranda on the grass.

Kneeling beside her, Lizzie lifted the shirt up. She clutched both sides firmly and pulled, the fabric refused to give. Doing her best not to scream out in frustration, Lizzie bit down firmly on her lip as she looked around. Her eyes raked over the rubble as she refused to accept the fact that this was what had once been her house. Near where the kitchen had once been, she saw the answer, a particularly jagged piece of wood.

Staggering to her aching legs, Lizzie's feet carried her quickly over the soft grass. She reached out and plunged the shirt onto the spike. There was a satisfying sound of ripped material. Lizzie pulled it off and ran her fingers over the frayed edges for any signs of splinters. Convinced the shirt was clean, she continued to find weaknesses in the material and shredded it until she had many long slender pieces.

Hurrying back over to Miranda, Lizzie gently dropped down besides her and folded one piece and pressed it to the area of Miranda's head where she'd first seen blood. Tenderly, she slid her hand behind Miranda's head, lifting it just slightly off the ground. Lizzie's fingers clutched two pieces she'd tied together, she slid it around Miranda's head and brought the two ends back together. She tied the ends, securing the bandage to her head.

Gently, Lizzie laid her friend's head back down onto the ground. She smiled slightly when a moan escaped Miranda lips and her head moved to the side. Miranda grunted slightly again and her brown eyes fluttered open.

Lizzie didn't saw anything at first. She waited until her friend seemed capable of focusing. "How are you feeling?"

Miranda moaned and traced her fingers along her new bandage. "Ugh," she whimpered. "I feel like a wanna-be pirate."

Lizzie sighed and stifled a laugh. "You look great."

"As long as I'm alive, I guess I can't complain," Miranda joked. She gingerly pressed her arms into the grass, and eased her body upright.

Lizzie waited close by. Miranda seemed to feel relieved as she managed to sit up, then her face winced in pain as she moved her left leg. Her small hands suddenly grasped her knee as she bent down, burying her head.

"What happened, are you all right?"

The dark mane of Miranda's hair shook as she knotted her fingers in her hair. "It-it's my leg. Something's wrong with it."

The pain written across her friend's face made Lizzie's heart wrench. She wanted to make everything right. She knew Miranda would need help. "What do we do?"

Slowly, Miranda craned her head towards her friend. "I'll be slow. But I can walk."

"But Miranda—"

"Lizzie! We have to find Gordo!" Miranda exclaimed. "What if he's hurt worse than we are?"


	9. Who She Found

In honor of Black Knight who reminded me that I have been going a little crazy starting new stories. I don't typically like to have this many started without and end, but sometimes, you just get a new idea. So, in addition to this one, expect other updates soon on ones you may have thought I'd forgotten.

Let me know what you think!

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Lizzie stared at her as she heard the faint wail of sirens that had yet to ebb from the distance. "You need to stay here. Stay towards the front of the yard, if anyone drives by use what's left of that shirt to flag them down. It will be easier on you if you don't have to walk. You may have sprained something worse than we think." She felt an aching at leaving her hurt friend where she was. She took a deep breath and leaned down and hugged her tightly. "It's so we can make sure that you're okay."

Miranda bit her bottom lip, but nodded. Lizzie looked around, checking for a place that would be far from any debris and also any danger that might present itself that Miranda would be unable to run away from. Finally, she spotted the area by the fence. Her dad had always complained about it because it was a ditch that often collect water when it rained. Though the house was no longer standing, the simple fence was. Forcing the lost home from her mind, Lizzie helped Miranda towards the ditch.

"If anything happens, just duck down and you should be safe."

Miranda cocked her head to the side as she stared at her friend. "You don't think it's over do you?"

"Regardless of what I think, a ditch should be the safest place for you, as long as a water main doesn't bust," Lizzie joked. A pained smiled crossed Miranda's face as she settled back in the small dip.

"If it does, I'll just float, look for me down river."

Lizzie impulsively hugged her friend one more time before she turned and started down the street.

The impact of how much had changed was starting to hit. Hardly any of the houses were standing, let alone recognizable. Lizzie felt sharp tears of loss sting her eyes. Sniffling, she tried to be thankful that everyone was okay. But as her watery eyes skimmed the horizon, she saw the destruction of everything she had once knew, and solitary tears slipped down her face as she turned the corner.

Her mind drifted to her parents and Matt. She'd done so well in avoiding thoughts of them, but now there was nothing to distract her attention. Suddenly, the tears started to fall faster. They had to be all right. It just wasn't an option for anything else.

She stared ahead of her and was surprised to realize that she'd walked faster than normal, and her feet had carried her towards downtown, she had only four more block, and she would be in the normally crowded part of town.

A she neared the corner, her attention was caught by a figure sitting on the edge of the corner.

"Ethan?" she called, wiping her teary eyes with the back of her hand. She came closer and realized that it was him. "Ethan, are you all right?"


End file.
